Colchester's Scarecrow Contest on the Green kicks off

More than a dozen scarecrow entries fill the green. Voting will be open until Oct. 24. Photo by Merja H. Lehtinen.

More than a dozen scarecrow entries fill the green. Voting will be open until Oct. 24. Photo by Merja H. Lehtinen.

Merja H. LehtinenReminder News

Scarecrow Contest on the Colchester Town Green kicks off with costume parade

The annual Scarecrow Contest on the Green, co-sponsored by the Colchester Business Association and Colchester Park & Recreation, started off with smiles, laughter and delighted screams on Saturday, Oct. 11, as dozens of children paraded in costumes onto the green. Then they ran around the gazebo and among the displays to see all of the scarecrows that celebrate the fall season and Halloween.

There are well over a dozen unique and imaginatively created displays of scarecrows on the green this year, entered by local residents, businesses and community organizations. The rules called for all displays to be completed by Saturday evening.

For the next few weeks, the Colchester Town Green will be filled with dancing ghosts, pumpkins in stockades, the characters from "The Wizard of Oz," and giant combs. There are also stuffed straw politicians and big-headed pumpkins, a straw SpongeBob SquarePants, and patches of squash guarded by scarecrows.

The kickoff party and costume parade was great fun for the children despite the chill in the air. CBA volunteers, town Parks and Rec staff, and CBA staff employees were serving piping hot pizza slices, cold cider and cookies to Spiderman, Count Dracula, lady bugs, bumble bees, fairies and countless other costumed children.

Patrick Kennedy said his family comes to see the scarecrows every year, but just happened to notice the display as they were driving by, and their boys Michael, 9, and Matthew, 8, wanted to stop in. Daughter Allison, 3, was having the best time of all.

Robert MacGregor said they had just come home from picking apples and a pumpkin in Hebron. "My daughter Aveline loves Dorothy from 'The Wizard of Oz,' so we had to stop in and see it," he said.

Rod Cappiello and his son Benny visited with Scott Civardi and daughter Chloe. It was a safe place for the children to dance, jump, run and play on the green while parents socialized.

Town employees reminded children and parents to come back for Trick or Trunk Night on the Green.